Spring Cleaning!

Spring Cleaning

Wrote this for Carson Dellosa and almost forgot to post it here! Good thing it isn't quite SPRING yet! lol

We had a two-hour delay today because of ice. So the thought of SPRING, even if it’s spring cleaning makes me smile.

Did your mother spring clean? My mother cleaned EVERY day! She would dust the whole house before I got up for school. The house was spotless. My theory is that is why I don’t worry so much about it. I clean don’t get me wrong – there is no filth in the house, but I don’t dust every day like my mom. I, personally, like to organize more than clean. I love taking things apart and putting them back neater. My mother is 90 – moved her two years ago to a full care facility. We “cleaned out” her house. OMG the woman saved EVERYTHING for 70 years! My husband and I have vowed not to have our children have to do that. So, we have been doing “spring cleaning” all year. We have thrown out tons! Literally! I feel like the house is skinnier! Now I want to do that in the classroom. 😊

So, Spring Cleaning in the classroom. It doesn’t really have to happen in the spring! Honestly, I think spring is too nice and too busy to do it. I tend to clean out in the winter. It’s cold and dreary anyway. You can’t sit outside on the porch. You can’t go for many walks. Our kids are older now, so we are empty nesters. But, I remember when our kids were little. Baseball and softball were every night occurrences. So, I know spring is busy. So, I try to do a little something at school every week. I try to decide what I can go through easily after school. I may even decide to spend some extra time there every two weeks or once a month or whenever I can find the time. If a cabinet or area is really driving me crazy, I try to make the extra time to get to it. It saves my sanity.

When I get to clean out I keep asking myself several questions:

1-          Have I used it in the last two years?

2-       Have I forgotten that I have it?

3-       Is it still relevant in the curriculum?

4-       Would the students even know who the picture is of? Sad how quickly the characters change.

5-       Do I have others that are similar that I like better? Or are in better shape?

6-      Is it in decent shape? Is it worn out?

7-       Could someone else in the building use it more than me?

8-       Could I send it home with a student that could use the extra practice?

OK – that is a lot of questions. But they need to be asked. I just went through my ELA materials and I found two sets of alphabet stamps that were exactly alike! (Insert eye roll here!) My co-worker is benefitting! She was so happy to get a brand-new set of alphabet stamps. My heart was happy that someone else would benefit. Win Win!

Can you find the time to empty one cabinet or drawer? I try to empty the whole thing, so I can see all of what I have. Group it into like categories. I keep most of my stuff for each month in a drawer. So, I try to put all the art projects together in that month, the math materials, the ELA materials, etc. Then I can decide – is it worth keeping? If I realize that I haven’t used it in the last several years and really don’t miss the activity, it’s gone. I make a share pile if I think someone else might want it. If I know it’s not worth anything to anyone, it’s in the recycle bin --- before I can change my mind. Then I try to put it back into my drawer in a neat organized way. Or at least, the best I can. I have been trying to clean out the drawer at the end of each month. Have I been totally successful? No. That’s ok. I’m not beating myself up about it. Who wanted to stay the last day of December and clean out? Not me! I wanted to get home and see my children!

I did the same thing with my ELA cabinet. I took everything out. EVERYTHING! As the students were dismissing one Friday, (we only have walkers), I started handing the kids items from the cabinet to put on the tables. They were thrilled to help! I was thankful for the help. Then after everyone was gone, I started sorting. I put all the alphabet stamps in one pile, the alphabet games in one pile, the sight word activities together, etc. etc. etc. You get the point, right? Then I looked through each pile and asked some questions. I have inherited some things over the years also. Teachers tend to take things “just in case”. Well, I made some tough decisions and got rid of old stuff.  My husband wasn’t working, and I asked him to come help me. We got to see each other, and I got some extra help. Ok, he saw all the things that were in the cabinet. But he is so supportive! He didn’t even roll his eyes when he saw all the stuff! I was able to put all the materials in tubs and put labels on them. That was HUGE! Now I am a happy camper! I can walk in and see what I have!

Try to use the storage containers that you already have. I know we all want to be matchy matchy, but it doesn’t have to be perfect to start. I had all sorts of tubs that were extras. I used them. It worked. I used them all. They fit. They are labeled and done. Another win win! You can always go back and get newer, cuter containers at another time. Switching those out wouldn’t take that much time.

As I have been cleaning out, I have also been taking pictures. I have been making a digital file so when I plan, I can look and see what I already have before I buy or make a new activity. Am I 100% complete with this? Of course not! Is it a great aspiration to have? YES! Will it make life easier as I go? Hopefully! Did I take pictures of everything in that ELA cabinet? No. ☹ But when I have ten minutes one day, I can. At least, it is cleaned out for now. One step at a time.

I also keep a list of things that I can do over the summer or before school starts. I add to it when I have an idea. Sometimes it takes a while to come up with a solution. Last year, I got rid of a filing cabinet in my classroom. YEA! Except I had one drawer with things that I still wanted to keep. I didn’t have anywhere to put them, but I didn’t want to keep the whole cabinet. SO, in the middle of the night, I got an idea to move two other things to other places and that freed up space for what was in the drawer and voila! I got rid of the cabinet and everything has a home. I got up out of bed to write down my thoughts, so I didn’t forget them. It was worth it. I didn’t get everything moved the next day, but I had a plan. So, write down what you want to clean out. Write down ideas of where to put things. My friend puts post it notes on things at the end of the school year – Move this next to this next year, clean out this drawer before school, put the word wall here this year. It’s a great help when you come back after summer break.

Good luck on your “spring cleaning”! It doesn’t have to be spring. It doesn’t have to be all in one day. Ask the tough questions and stay strong. We really don’t need to keep everything “just in case”. Think through what would help make your day run smoother. Think how you can make that happen in your space. Think about if you really need it or want it. If you don’t like it, the students probably won’t either. Remember, it’s a marathon – pace yourself!